Sri Lanka police arrest 22 Buddhist monks after 110kg of cannabis found in luggage

Customs officials say group allegedly hid 5kg of ‘kush’ in false walls of bags on return from Bangkok holiday

Twenty-two Buddhist monks are in Sri Lankan police custody after customs officials found 110kg of high-grade cannabis concealed in their luggage, the largest ever drug bust at Colombo’s main international airport.

The group, mostly junior monks in training from temples across Sri Lanka, were alleged to have “carried about five kilos of the narcotic concealed within false walls in their luggage”, according to a Sri Lanka customs spokesperson.